Comments on: Cops: National Grid employee was drunk – in company vanhttp://blog.timesunion.com/crime/cops-national-grid-employee-was-drunk-in-company-van/2507/
Coverage of crime and corruption in the Capital RegionMon, 09 Feb 2015 14:56:06 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.8.3By: Christinehttp://blog.timesunion.com/crime/cops-national-grid-employee-was-drunk-in-company-van/2507/comment-page-1/#comment-5275
Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:38:14 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/crime/?p=2507#comment-5275wow…good luck with your wrist
and continue to fight the good fight
you obviously enjoy a debate
I on the other hand have no intention of continuing to disect each sentence you write and make response to prove my point…
you are well spoken, and I’ll just agree to disagree
]]>By: tracyhttp://blog.timesunion.com/crime/cops-national-grid-employee-was-drunk-in-company-van/2507/comment-page-1/#comment-5225
Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:45:12 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/crime/?p=2507#comment-5225Christine,

Regardless of what deputies said, Ott was in his work van. From what I’ve seen, employers view those in company vehicles as working until the vehicle’s returned, even those who are technically off-duty at the time.

No need to stop me before I get started on your sympathizing with drunk drivers. I wasn’t going there. When I said I had no sympathy for him, I meant nothing more than what I said. Because you’ve publicly extended your prayers to him and his family, it’s a safe assumption you sympathize or empathize with some aspects of the situation. That’s commendable, and I’m not knocking you for that. I’m sorry about the loss of your friend, but don’t tell me you don’t judge.

The fact that you don’t know if he was sloshed because you weren’t there gives me pause. Not because you go on to inform me I wasn’t there either, but because it seems odd you’d try to call me out, given your first post. Let’s review! You mentioned his family’s “private struggle”. Read in context, it’s a _reasonable_ conclusion that you’re alluding to a drinking problem on Ott’s part. You go on to state that anybody drinking and driving has a problem that needs immediate attention. Read in context, “a problem” is fairly open-ended (one can draw a number of reasonable inferences from it), and “immediate attention” sounds somewhat severe. While I think that drinking and driving is a serious problem, I hesitate to say that those who do it have a serious problem because many of them don’t, at least not of a sort that many of us who’ve never driven after drinking aren’t _just as guilty_ of. We’ve all had serious lapses in judgment at some point, many of them seemingly harmless but just as capable of resulting in another’s injury or death. But anyway, your taking me to task for saying he was sloshed seems nuts. When it comes to people I don’t know, I stick to making statements I’m confident than I can back up.

I can back “sloshed” up — we have the facts presented in the article, and you only need connect the dots to see the larger picture. From the strong scent of alcohol coming from his person, to the open container in the vehicle, to the refusal of the Breathalyzer, back to the erratic driving and the seemingly irrational behavior that went with it. I could easily argue he was stone cold sober _IF_ it weren’t for all those things combined, but it _was_ all those things, combined. On top of that, we have the lack of a public statement (by him, or made on his behalf) disputing the information that’s come out. I’m a healthy skeptic, but I don’t need to see things happen to accept that they’ve occured. Refusing to call him a dumb, drunk ass is fine. For the record, what I said was that he put HIS behind the wheel, not that he was one.

Two companies _really isn’t_ many companies, and it goes well beyond “unsatisfactory experience” with both. The beginning of the end with the company I swore off involved the (totally justifiable) fear of an attempted sexual assault -or worse- at the hands of one of their employees. That was merely the beginning of the end, NOT the straw that broke the camel’s back. I throw that out there to illustrate how extreme things must be to push me to the point where I have problems with a company. I’m not sure what else to do, given the fact you seem to feel I have some problem with NG or their employees, given the last line of your comment. And to answer your question, why no, they’re not, BUT I never said they were. I said there were SOME lazy, useless dummies within NG’s ranks. I then went on to say it was nothing against NG, and that it was true everywhere these days. The work ethic in this country is not what it once was.

I’m not in the immediate Capital District, my power wasn’t out, I could have survived for quite a while if it was. I really have no need to thank my lucky stars that National Grid brought more people in, and I’m not going to applaud them for paying those they did. Paying people for work is standard practice, and fixing the lines was about self-preservation, period. NG is a business, they make money by supplying power, and failing to restore it quickly would have opened the door to a host of nasty problems – lost revenue, potential competition (more lost revenue), a tarnished reputation (yet more lost revenue), potential lawsuits, a government smackdown… etc. Yes, I am aware that sending crews to areas where there is a need for them is the normal. I didn’t mention the fact they’d brought crews in from around the state because I found it bizarre or scandalous, I mentioned it to make a point.

Saying that the repairs from the storm would remain unfinished had Grid not called people in is laughable, and as much as I want to start a line with “Are you aware…”, I won’t. Had National Grid failed to deal with it in a timely manner, the Governor could have declared a State of Emergency and sent the National GUARD in. That would have been one of several options. Nevermind the fact that communities tend to to be _at their best_ in times of crisis, banding together and doing what they can to improve their situation.

Yes, you do sound like a Grid cheerleader, and truth be told, reading your post yesterday, I thought you were an employee or fairly close to an employee. There’s nothing wrong with pointing out the good they do (and I have personally thanked quite a few of them in the past) but you seem to be going well beyond that — making the criticism that did exist towards NG much larger than it was, while minimizing -what may have been- perfectly valid complaints. I agree the workers should be judged for their individual performance (to an extent, but bad behavior will always reflect poorly on an employer, and there comes a point when poor behavior is indicative of a larger problem on the employer’s part *cough*Schenectady P.D being a prime example*cough*). I’m not saying NG’s reached that level.

I’ve typed myself right back into need of a wrist brace, so I’m not bothering to go back and edit for clarity of length. Apologies for that.

]]>By: Christinehttp://blog.timesunion.com/crime/cops-national-grid-employee-was-drunk-in-company-van/2507/comment-page-1/#comment-5199
Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:16:49 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/crime/?p=2507#comment-5199Tracy
Thank you so much for you feedback.
Now, to quote you, “let me remind YOU of a few things”…
The article notes that “Deputies this morning were unsure whether Ott was on duty when he was arrested.” I agree he shouldn’t have been drinking and driving, I don’t know if he was “sloshed” as you put it, because I wasn’t there. I will assume you weren’t either. I am not making any excuses for this gentleman’s behavoir and I fully agree with you it was a “STUPID” thing to do. I don’t know this man so I refuse to call him a dumb, drunk ass. We all have reasons for doing things in retrospect we could kick ourselves in the behind for. I agree its a blessing no one was hurt. Before you get started on my sympathizing with drunk drivers know that I have buried a friend as a result of one, so no I don’t sympathize…I just don’t judge.
I am sorry for your Verizon, and it appears your Target struggles. Obviously you have had less then satisfactory experiences with many companies.
I do want to point out that you are correct- National grid employees from Upstate NY did receive help from other utility workers. Most were National Grid employees from other areas, and those who were not employed by Grid were paid by Grid to help. You should thank your lucky stars-the amount of damage from the storms would still be unfinished if the local workers were all Grid could offer in our time of need. Are you aware that this is how National Grid responds to emergencies? This is what happens all over the area they cover. If a storm hits Buffalo-Albany goes, and visa versa.
I know I sound like a Grid cheerleader, believe I don’t love the company.I think their employees work long hours and in very dangerous situations. I just think workers should be judged for their individual performances, not the ones who make the headlines, or the careless remarks from someone behind a desk who took your call and isn’t even in the field with the workers you see.
When people want to crab, try to remember something good instead. The next time I want to crab about Grid I’ll remind myself of the old couple down the road they saved when they detected Carbon Monoxide in their home, or the house fire around the corner the Grid worker went into to to physically shut off the meters so the fireman could continue to safely put out the fire, or the live wires they removed from a car full of speeding teens making bad choices on the twisted country road in my town.
I don’t think they are all dumb workers, now are they?
]]>By: Lauriehttp://blog.timesunion.com/crime/cops-national-grid-employee-was-drunk-in-company-van/2507/comment-page-1/#comment-5197
Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:21:20 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/crime/?p=2507#comment-5197Tracy:

Well said!!

]]>By: tracyhttp://blog.timesunion.com/crime/cops-national-grid-employee-was-drunk-in-company-van/2507/comment-page-1/#comment-5196
Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:45:33 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/crime/?p=2507#comment-5196Christine, it ceased being a personal issue and a private struggle the minute he put his dumb, drunk ass behind the wheel of a vehicle on the public’s roads. I have no sympathy for him — not only was he sloshed, he had an open container in his vehicle, and he was driving on the sidewalk AFTER crossing into the oncoming lane. He could have easily killed somebody, or left them severely injured, god forbid. I HOPE he feels embarrassed, and I HOPE he feels ashamed, and I HOPE that this serves as a wake-up call to somebody who might put themselves in a similar position somewhere down the line. If you do something THAT stupid, you need to be called out.

As for making headlines as a “National Grid” problem, it IS a National Grid problem. He was doing this ON their time, IN their vehicle. Employees are representatives of their companies when they’re working- and as long as he had that truck, he WAS working. Period. Employers who choose to put people in certain situations have an obligation to insure they’re fit to be there in the first place, and will remain fit for the long haul.

Thanks for reminding of us things. Now, let me remind you of a few.

1. There are bad apples in every bunch, period. Those who are “ridiculing” may have good reason to do so, provided by the NG employees that they’ve dealt with. Your experience with a company is not everybody’s experience with that company, and your positive encounters don’t trump another’s negative. I’ve seen incompetence and laziness from NG firsthand. My FIL jumped through hoops for three months, and it wasn’t until he mentioned legal action that NG got on board and rectified the situation! My personal utility beef is with Verizon, and I’d gladly stab myself in the face before getting residential services through them again (I’m 4 years and 10 months months into that boycott). FWIW, I don’t see much ridiculing going on – I read OGS’ comment as a joke with no hostility involved; Laurie was spot on, and Roz made some valid points. She may have been harsher than the other two, but even if she was ridiculing, she’s a mere 33% of the other posters. Claiming an open forum’s been created TO ridicule NG employees based on one of three people’s comments is a stretch. If NG employees are so fragile that they should be spared criticism in blog comments, oh… nevermind, that’s just way too easy.

2. The fact that there were hard working men and women working during the ice storm last doesn’t negate the fact that there ARE some useless, lazy dummies within NG’s ranks (nothing against NG, it just seems to be the norm EVERYWHERE nowadays [I really want to launch into a Target rant here to illustrate my point, but I'll spare y'all! And it pales in comparison to my Verizon diatribe, which I shall also spare you]). Also: local National Grid employees _DID NOT_ work alone. Crews were brought in from across the state, and providers from outside the state were involved as well, so you can’t hold that up as an example of NG’s excellence.

3. The power going off may very well have A LOT to do with workers in some situations. It’s as simple as somebody being careless when installing or inspecting equipment, or not doing what they should be doing when they’re sent to do it. I can’t say that any of those sent out to inspect the trees in the vicinity of feeder lines are walking aimlessly and sending text messages, but on the flipside, I bet you can’t tell me with absolute certainty that they’re all not.

]]>By: Christinehttp://blog.timesunion.com/crime/cops-national-grid-employee-was-drunk-in-company-van/2507/comment-page-1/#comment-5191
Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:28:31 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/crime/?p=2507#comment-5191It’s unfortunate that this gentleman’s personal issue is making headlines as a “National Grid” problem. My prayers go out to Mr.Ott and his family as their private struggle becomes a public one. Any one who is drinking and driving, especially in a work van has a problem that needs immediate attention.
As for the open forum this creates to ridicule National Grid workers, I remind you of the hard working men and women of National Grid who worked for a week straight during this past year’s ice storm, or the ones who came to your house this summer to get your power back on in the middle of the night. Let’s not forget the ones we see working high on the poles dealing with massive amounts of electricity in the pouring rain.
Our bills are high, I agree…but guess what, so are theres. The Ni Mo bill has nothing to do with the workers. Your power may go off…again nothing to do with the workers. Talk to your town leadership, or your landlord.
Don’t use one man’s bad choices as a reason to spew untruths and hatred to a group of hard working men and women you don’t even know.
]]>By: Lauriehttp://blog.timesunion.com/crime/cops-national-grid-employee-was-drunk-in-company-van/2507/comment-page-1/#comment-5184
Mon, 31 Aug 2009 19:22:27 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/crime/?p=2507#comment-5184Roz:

I think you are lucky to get a customer service rep at all. Anytime I call a place of business these days, I get the automated run around. I downright despise that!!!!

]]>By: Roz, the Crabby Old Ladyhttp://blog.timesunion.com/crime/cops-national-grid-employee-was-drunk-in-company-van/2507/comment-page-1/#comment-5176
Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:36:15 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/crime/?p=2507#comment-5176This article would be funny were it not for the fact that this drunk could have killed someone. It just goes to show how “hard working” the guys are at National Grid. I had the pleasure of watching these men spend the vast majority of their day either staring at the ground, leaning on trees and lamp posts, or talking on cell phones while our power was out for over 24 hours. At one point, they dug a hole in the ground, and then spent about 6 more hours staring at it.

The power came on after the sun started going down and it started pouring. No more fun standing around outside! (Either that, or it was my promise to put video of them standing around on YouTube.)

Note to all: don’t bother calling National Grid to complain. You have no hope of speaking to a supervisor. Customer service reps will give you an estimated time when your power will be back on (all BS, believe me) and tell you that “you aren’t the only one whose power is out” (thanks, I knew that) and at the end of the call, it’s “Have a good evening.”

]]>By: Office of Ganja Serviceshttp://blog.timesunion.com/crime/cops-national-grid-employee-was-drunk-in-company-van/2507/comment-page-1/#comment-5175
Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:34:23 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/crime/?p=2507#comment-5175That explains why my bill was so high last month…it figures, the guy reading it had to be drunk.
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